The trip started with a bit of a stutter, as I found my traveling rhythm amongst the chaos of Tokyo. However, the most startling thing that I noticed upon arrival is the relative quiet of the city. For so many people, and such a busy place, it is remarkably quiet. Of course there are louder areas like Shibuya, but unlike most other cities I have visited, few people use horns when driving, and there are few conversations occurring in public places. While Tokyo is a very orderly place, it definitely maintains a chaos throughout.
I gathered my travel rhythm over the course of a few days in Tokyo seeing the sights from Roppongi Hills to the Imperial Palace and Asakusa temple. Never have I been to such a serene place as the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. It was so quiet in the heart of such a large city and had an incredibly peaceful atmosphere. Also, I stumbled my way through meals, at one point standing in the middle of a small restaurant looking around for a menu before a nice lady working there kindly communicated to me that I had to "order" through the vending machine and hand my ticket to the cook at the window. Genius system, by the way! After a few days of exploring Tokyo, it was off to Osaka.
After a quick ride on the bullet train, I met up with an old pal, Ivan. The kind soul that he is hosted me for two nights as we toured Osaka and Hoshida, the town that he lives in. Osaka is a beautiful, lively city, but I preferred Hoshida. As Ivan had to teach English, I toured the city a bit myself by getting lost (and then found) amongst the windy streets of this Osaka suburb. Then, the pastor of the church that Ivan is missioning at, Pastor Tanaka, invited us to dinner with his family. We had Okonomiyaki, an Osaka specialty, and it was incredible! His wife and four children were very nice as well! Then, I helped out in Ivan's english class for an hour, conversing with Hiroshi and Masuka, an elderly couple with a passion for Japanese history and learning English. Very fascinating conversation!
The next day, I bid Ivan farewell and headed off to Kyoto to see some temples. And temples I saw! I nabbed a day pass on the city bus and hopped on to see where it would take me. Using a handy map of the temples and bus routes from my hostel, I stopped off at temple whose name looked familiar. It turned out to be Kinkakuji, a golden temple that Ivan had told me about, but didn't remember exactly how to get to. What a sight! The three story Buddhist temple is wrapped in gold and shines brilliantly in the afternoon sun. Though crowded with tourists, it was an amazing sight to take in. The next morning I got up bright and early to catch sunrise at the most famous temple in Kyoto, Kiyomizu. It sits on the side of a hill just outside of Kyoto and looks down upon the city, and the combination of the temple and adjoining park make for quite an experience. The crisp, clean air and rising sun sure didn't hurt either! At midday, I headed back for my last jaunt through Tokyo.
On my last day, I met up with Stephane, a friend who attended Audencia, the school I studied at in France, and who is now working in Tokyo. We met in Shibuya, near the most photographed intersection in the world, and had kaiten sushi. But this was not your average belt sushi. The freshness of seafood is unmatched by anything I have ever had. And that's coming from a Seattleite, no less! Heck, even the rice tasted better than any rice I've ever had! The whole meal, including the eel, was quite memorable indeed. I'm no sushi connoisseur, but this certainly was the best sushi I have ever had. After a few beers, I decided to call it a night. Maybe still adjusting to the time change, but I just wasn't quite in the right state for a night out in Tokyo. Maybe next time.
I decided ahead of time to take it easy on my final day in Tokyo, and I'm glad I did. I woke up to a perfectly Seattle day to remind me of home. It was mid-40's and misting heavily. Ahh, it felt good. I sought out a cafe I had passed the day before, and to my luck remembered just where it was. At Cafe Kohana (which I highly recommend if you're ever in Tokyo!) I ate a breakfast of salad, potato salad, yogurt and toast with my coffee while enjoying the sites of Tokyo. However, the weather quickly began to turn as the rain became snow. Initially it didn't stick. But, by midday the snow was unrelenting and it began to accumulate. And fast. Meanwhile, I was discussing the weather and our mutual interest in each other's hometowns with the proprietor of Cafe Kohana, Kohanawa. I suspect, though didn't think to confirm until after I left, that he named the cafe after himself. Fair enough! A multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and bandleader (as well as cafe proprietor), Kohanawa is a fan of Nirvana and Soundgarden, two of Seattle's more famous musical acts. He hails from Hokkaido, the northernmost island in Japan. Known for its beautiful scenery, I would have liked to have made it there on this trip, but alas must save it for the next time I find myself in the Land of the Rising Sun!
After conversing with Kohanawa, the time came for me to head to the airport, as my next adventure in South Korea lay just hours away. As I headed out, with the snow accumulating ever faster, I slogged through the sloppy streets of Tokyo to the catch the hour-plus long train out to Narita International Airport. After the train was delayed, I grew suspicious of how the rapidly deteriorating weather may affect my chances of flying, but remained optimistic. Unfortunately, my suspicions were confirmed as I reached the check-in counter at Narita to find that my flight was delayed from 7:30pm to 6:00 am the next morning. Ouch. Further investigation found that all other flights to Seoul were full, and the hotels nearby were booked as well, so the fine folks at Delta and Narita Int'l would be providing us with sleeping bags and air mattresses. Double and triple ouch. As I write, mine lay unopened next to me, and as the hour approaches one in the morning, I must bid the blog adieu and shall hope for a few hours of shut-eye before the early morning trek to Seoul. Can't wait for the next adventure!
P.S. Photos from Japan are up on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/djohansson89/sets
Enjoy!
